How to Win Your First Federal Contract: A Practical Guide
Start small and close to home: in our analysis of facility support contracts, first-time winners mostly won purchase orders and simplified acquisitions, not task orders under existing contracts, and they worked a median of 128 miles from their base. Register in SAM.gov (it is free), find the notices that fit your NAICS code and size, and bid on the ones you can document.
What first-time winners actually won
We compared 343 first-time winners with 768 repeat winners across 1,111 small-business-reserved facility support contracts (NAICS 561210) signed in a 24-month window ending October 2026. "First-time" means a winner with no earlier award visible in our database. Source: Kailu Bids analysis of USASpending data, 2026-10-18.
| First-time winners | Repeat winners | |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts analyzed | 343 | 768 |
| Purchase orders | 65% | 26% |
| Simplified acquisition procedures | 74% | 46% |
| Delivery orders | 9% | 39% |
| BPA calls | 2% | 22% |
| Median number of offers | 3 | 2 |
| Median distance, winner to place of performance | 128 miles | 602 miles |
Contract value did not differ between the two groups (median obligated value about $75,500 for first-time winners and $92,600 for repeat winners; the difference is not statistically meaningful). Treat these numbers as one niche and one period, not as a rule for every industry.
A step-by-step plan
- Register in SAM.gov. It is free and gives you the UEI. Be wary of sites that charge to register.
- Know your NAICS code and your size against the SBA size standard (see our set-aside guide).
- Look for notices near you. First-time winners won close to home.
- Prefer small purchases and simplified acquisitions. Task orders under existing contracts mostly go to companies that already hold the contract.
- Answer Sources Sought notices to get on the agency's radar (see our Sources Sought guide).
- Read the notice before spending time on it (see our guide on how to read a federal notice).
- Have your paperwork ready: active SAM.gov registration, the licenses the work requires, proof of insurance and, if the notice asks, bonding. Each notice lists exactly what it needs.
- Without past federal work, look for notices evaluated on lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) or where past performance weighs little. Under long-standing FAR rules, a company with no relevant record should not be rated favorably or unfavorably on past performance; the notice's evaluation section is what governs. The FAR is being rewritten in 2025–2026, so check the current text.
What no one can promise
No service can promise you a contract. Kailu Bids shows where you have a realistic fit and where you do not, and what is missing to qualify. You decide whether to bid and at what price.
Frequently asked questions
Can a company with no federal experience win a federal contract?
Yes. In the facility support contracts we analyzed, 31% of the winners (343 of 1,111) had no earlier award visible in our database.
What kind of contracts do first-time winners win?
Mostly purchase orders and simplified acquisitions, and work close to home. They rarely win task orders under existing contracts.
Is registering in SAM.gov free?
Yes. SAM.gov registration is free. Be careful with sites that charge for it.
Does this guide guarantee a first contract?
No. It describes what happened in one industry over one period and how to prepare.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Kailu Bids is an independent service of Kailu Media LLC and is not affiliated with SAM.gov, the SBA or any government agency. Rules change; check the sources above. Last reviewed: October 20, 2026.